Halifax and Sydney will see fewer cruise ships, but more passengers

Holland America Lines cruise ship Veendam, shown here in Halifax harbour in 2014, will be the first cruise ship to arrive in both Halifax and Sydney this year. (STAFF)

Cruise line Holland America will be the opening act for both the ports of Halifax and Sydney as Nova Scotia’s cruise business kicks off another season at the end of the month.

Holland America’s Veendam will make its first call to Halifax on April 29. The vessel will be in Sydney on May 1.

“This is a wonderful way to start our 2016 cruise season in Halifax,” said Cathy McGrail, director of cruise and corporate communications for the Halifax Port Authority.

“Holland America has been a tremendous partner over the years and the Veendam is one of the vessels calling Halifax that is equipped to take on shore power. Starting off the season in this way is a good representation of the partnership and innovations that have helped develop a strong cruise offering in Halifax,” she said.

Nova Scotia’s cruise business brings thousands of visitors and generates millions of dollars, both directly and indirectly, for the provincial economy.

From the end of April until the end of October, a total of more than 190 vessel calls are scheduled for the ports of Halifax and Sydney bringing more than 315,000 passengers and more than 100,000 crew. The Halifax Port Authority said an economic impact study has determined Halifax’s cruise industry generates more than $100 million annually. Sydney anticipates an economic impact of nearly $25 million.

At the southern end of the province, Bay Ferries, operating the high-speed ferry, The Cat, is expected to bring thousands of additional tourists from the U.S. The daily service between Yarmouth and Portland, Me., is scheduled to operate from June 15 until Sept. 30.

In 2014, Halifax completed the installation of major electrical power supply improvements so vessels with the capability could run on electricity while berthed rather than burn diesel at the dock. In this coming season it is expected that more than 30 vessel calls will use shore power.

Holland America’s three vessels; Veendam, Rotterdam and Zuiderdam, will call on both Halifax and Sydney more than 30 times each throughout the 2016 schedule.

Halifax is expecting 135 vessel calls, down slightly from 2015, but with larger ships, which will bring about 240,000 passengers, up from just more than 222,000 in 2015.

Among the many shore attractions awaiting passengers are the cruise pavilion vendors, the Farmers Seaport Market, bus excursions to a variety of provincial attractions such as Peggy’s Cove and wine tours to the Annapolis Valley, tours of historic Halifax, and the many shops and restaurants along the port’s extensive and highly popular boardwalk.

Season highlights will include four visits by the Queen Mary 2, the first on July 3; three calls by the famous, 2,400-passenger Disney Magic; and the busiest day of the season, Sept. 15, when there will be more than 9,000 passengers and crew in port.

The two vessels with the largest capacities ever scheduled to visit Halifax are Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas on Sept. 1, with a passenger capacity of 4,905 and Norwegian Line’s Norwegian Breakaway with 4,500 passengers on June 29.

The Port of Sydney will host 57 cruise calls this year, down from last year’s total of 70. The ships are expected to bring about 87,600 passengers and nearly 39,000 crew.

“Although the number of calls for the 2016 season is down by approximately 18 per cent, based on projections as compared to last season’s actuals, our passenger counts are down only by approximately 2.3 per cent,” said Bernadette MacNeil, the Port of Sydney’s manager of marketing and administration. “The mix of ships coming in is large in size with many of the major lines represented. One of our highlights for this season is the expected arrival of Disney Magic on May 20. We readily accept the responsibility to meet the high expectations from the Disney Cruise Line,” she said.

MacNeil said cruise ships coninue continue to be important business to the tourism industry and the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in general.

“Hope still remains for the construction of a second berth which will include upgrades and extensions to our current wharf infrastructure necessary to sustain the cruise industry for now and in the future,” she said.

Tourism Nova Scotia sees the cruise sector as an important contributor to the province’s tourism industry. In addition to passenger and cruise lines’ spending, visitors are introduced to some unique experiences that make Nova Scotia an attractive destination.